body

n.

1. The physical structure of a human or animal

   frame, corporeal frame, physique, anatomy, form, figure, shape, make, mortal part, build, physical makeup, flesh and bones, carcass*, tenement of clay*.

2. A corpse

   corpse, cadaver, dead body, remains, corpus delicti (Latin), dust, clay, carcass, relics, the dead, the deceased, the departed, mummy, skeleton, ashes, carrion, organic remains, mortal remains, bones, reliquiae (Latin), cold meat*, stiff*.

3. The torso

   trunk, figure, form, shape, build.

4. The central portion of an object

   chassis, basis, groundwork, frame, fuselage, assembly, trunk, hull, bed, box, substructure, skeleton, scaffold, anatomy, bones*, guts*; see also essence 1, foundation 2.

5. The central portion of a composition

   dissertation, discourse, thesis, treatise, argument, material, heart, evidence, demonstration, exposition, gist; see also basis 1, essence 1, theory 1.

   Antonyms introduction*, preface*, preamble. *

6. Individuals having an organization

   society, group, party; see organization 3.

7. A unified or organized mass

   aggregate, mass, bulk, variety; see collection 2, whole.

8. Full consistency

   substance, fullness, richness, thickness; see consistency 2, density 1.

body refers to the whole physical substance of a person or animal, whether dead or alive; corpse and the euphemistic remains refer to a dead human body; carcass is used of the dead body of an animal or, contemptuously or humorously, of the living or dead body of a human being; cadaver refers primarily to a dead human body used for medical dissection

keep body and soul together

over one's dead body